By Rachel Mohamed
The Fishers Movement for Change has called on the Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment to urgently address irregularities in the allocation of fishing rights. The organisation, which represents local fishers, has raised concerns that the current process is systematically excluding those who rely on the ocean for their livelihoods.
In an interview with VOC News, Beatrice Yon, Coordinator of the Fishers Movement for Change, outlined several pressing issues, including the need to review both the rights allocation process and the distribution of quotas.
“For the past 17 years, we’ve been operating under interim rights. Initially, we were permitted to catch four crayfish per day—roughly 254 kilograms per season—with each individual allocated only 167 kilograms. The rights allocation process was supposed to secure our share of the resource, but instead, we’ve been left with scraps,” Yon explained. “We applied for fishing rights as small-scale fishers in 2016 and were made to reapply again in 2019.”
She added that, although many applied as individuals, they were ultimately grouped into a single large cooperative and forced to join it.
“I raised this concern with a representative responsible for small-scale fisheries within the department. When I asked what I should do as an individual who does not wish to be part of the cooperative, I was told that unless I agreed to join, I would not receive any fishing rights.”
Listen for the full interview:
VOC News
Photo: Pixabay
